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“Aunt Tasha, make her stop!”

“Are you sure, munchkin?”

“Yes! Save me, Aunt Tasha.”

Megan felt a hand on your shoulder and heard Tasha say, “Come here, you! Time for a taste of your own medicine.” Suddenly, Megan was attacked by kisses, much in the same manner as what she had just done to her daughter. Soon, Megan was the one squealing with laughter.

Tasha finally relented, leaving Megan panting desperately between residual laughs. She watched as Tasha sat back on the couch and said to Sophia, “Munchkin, I know that kisses are yucky, but maybe you’d be willing to kiss your Aunt Tasha on the cheek to thank her for saving you?”

Sophia planted a kiss on Tasha’s cheek and then hugged her fiercely. “I love you, Aunt Tasha.”

She’s really good with Sophia. I’m so glad that Sophia likes her, too.

Megan hugged the two of them. “I love you both.”

CHAPTER 40

CONFIDENT

It wasn’t even noon, and they had a long day ahead of them. Tasha was already deep into a mental prioritization list, a habit which was helping her stave off the lingering panic surrounding their snap decision to move into a whole new apartment. The first order of business was to get Sophia set up for her new room, which was definitely a “Megan task.” It was too early for lunch, but getting further from breakfast, so Tasha tucked a granola bar into Megan and Sophia’s coats as she directed them off to Ikea. That should give her two or three hours to work alone. The top priority in any move was always the bed, because no matter what the state of everything else was, you needed a place to sleep. Because they were staying in the same building, Tasha put that in the “flex” category. She decided that they would move the bed only after Sophia’s new room was set.

That left her moving further down her list to find items that she could handle alone. Clothes and the kitchen fit that description. Tasha started in the closet, quickly sorting items into three piles: Definitely Yes; Let’s See If Megan Wants It; and This Needs To Go. Once done, she moved the Definitely Yes pile and got that hung up in the new place. A quick run to the store netted some boxes, then she started on moving the kitchen. As the kitchens were nearly identical, that was fairly simple, albeit tiring. Tasha was over half done with the kitchen when Sophia found her.

“Mommy needs help with some big boxes, Aunt Tasha.”

“Alright, let me grab a jacket.” Sophia practically dragged her out to Megan’s packed Subaru.

“Is there anything left in the store?”

“Haha. You’re so funny,” Megan responded sarcastically. “I think that we’re going to need to move some smaller items before we get to the big boxes.”

“Yeah, looks like it.”

It took multiple trips, accompanied by numerous unflattering comments directed in the general direction of Sweden, but they got the car unloaded. Panting, they surveyed the scattered boxes of many sizes in the new apartment. “Pizza?” Tasha asked.

“Yes!”

“Okay, let me order some. What would you like?” Tasha placed the order, trying not to be distracted by watching Megan working the kinks out of her back. “Done! This is so much harder than when we were in college.”

“Duh! In college, we could just bat our eyelashes at some frat boys and things would get moved.”

“I wonder if that would still work?”

“I feel like it would. You’re hotter than you were in college, and I’m doing alright.”

“More than alright,” Tasha purred.

Ten years after college and being a mom and Megan is somehow more beautiful than ever. Damn, I am lucky.

“Down, girl! There’s one critical flaw in your idea, though.”

“What’s that?”

“The complete lack of frat boys to bat our eyelashes at.”

“That is a problem. Maybe we should knock on some doors and see if there are any lonely men?”

“Tasha, we are strong, independent women. We got this,” Megan added with mock sternness.